Archive for the 'Olympics' Category

GYMNASTICS

Simone Biles won all five Gold medals at the US Gymnastics Championship Sunday night. According to the coordinator of the women’s team, “Biles is so spectacular, it’s pretty much a given that everyone else is competing for second place when she’s around.” Biles didn’t just compete and win her events, she also made a statement by wearing a teal colored outfit. Teal is the color of sex abuse survivors, and Biles wanted to make the hundreds of gymnasts abused by Larry Nasser were acknowledged for their suffering. Meanwhile, USA Gymnastics new CEO Kerry Perry had a chance to address the media. Unfortunately, Perry didn’t use the platform to recognize the victims of sexual abuse and properly acknowledge the changes that need to be made in USA gymnastics.

FOOTBALL

Much has been said in the last couple of weeks about the NFL’s new helmet rule which attempts to make the game a safer place for the athletes. Players and fans alike have criticized the rule saying it’s too subjective and impossible to properly enforce. According to San Francisco 49er cornerback Richard Sherman, “it’s idiotic”. He went on to say, “To all those ppl including those who made the rule. I want a video of YOU running full speed and being lead by anything but your head while also attempting to bring down a moving target. You will soon realize it’s impossible.” Sherman also tweeted that if the rule stays in place, the NFL “will be flag football soon.”

OLYMPICS

The 2018 Winter Olympics are over, and Norway landed on top with 39 medals (14 Gold), followed by Germany with 31 (14 Gold), Canada 29 (11 Gold), USA 23 (9 Gold) and the Netherlands with 20 (8 Gold). The next Olympics will be the Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2020!

BASKETBALL

After a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James showed his frustration by criticizing the refs for protecting the outside shooter instead of calling fouls when players drive the basket. James said, “We’re at a point now where we protect the shooter more than the driver. There’s no reason I should be going to the line four times in a game when I drive 100 times to the paint and I’m getting hit and slapped and grabbed and whatever and whatnot. We protect the shooter. That’s what it’s turned into. ‘Chicks dig the long ball,’ and that’s what it’s about.”

GOLF

Unless you’re watching “HappyGilmore”, you don’t usually hear yelling on the course and Justin Thomas likes it that way. On the 16th hole of the Honda Classic, a fan yelled “Get in the bunker”. Thomas wasn’t too happy with that and could be heard saying, “Who said that? Who yelled for that ball to get in the bunker? Was that you? Enjoy your day, buddy, you’re gone.” No one saw the fan after that, so apparently the fan was kicked out. Happily for Thomas, he won the tournament.

OLYMPICS

The Russians, skating under the name O.A.R, (Olympic Athletes from Russia) finally won a gold medal in Pyeongchang with 15-year-old Alina Zagitova edging out her 18-year-old teammate Evgenia Medvedeva in the figure skating competition. Zagitova is the second youngest figure skater to win gold (Tara Lipinski was the youngest by 28 days).

The United States traditionally has dominated ice skating, but this year, was a disappointment. The highest an American scored was for ninth place (the worst showing since World War II). One of the highly touted skaters, Mirai Nagasu, received attention and accolades after she landed the first-ever triple axel by a US woman at the Olympics, helping Team USA win the bronze medal in the team skating event. After a poor performance in the individual event, Nagasu flustered the media by explaining her less than stellar performance and saying she “saved” Team USA so her individual program was just “icing on the cake”. She continued by saying she was exhausted from training, couldn’t take a hot shower and missed home. She also said, “I would like to be on “Dancing with the Stars” because I want to be a star. I made history here by landing the first triple axel by a U.S. lady and third at the Olympics and I think that’s a big deal.”

OLYMPICS

The United States dominated in the men’s halfpipe with David Wise bringing in the gold and Alex Ferreira taking home the silver. Ferreira and Wise formed a strong bond during the Olympic training and even got matching tattoos of the PyeongChang logo. Wise’s long hair has been a story throughout the Olympics, and now that he’s won gold, he says he’ll donate his locks to a cancer charity.

The United States and Canada’s women’s hockey have an intense rivalry over the years, with Canada dominating the medal stand by winning gold the past four Olympic games. Thursday night both teams played their heart out, but the U.S. pulled out the win in a dramatic 3-2 shootout. Many fans believe the shootout is an unfair way to determine a game of this importance and want it banned in the future. This is the first Olympic gold for U.S. women’s hockey since 1988.

Now that the Olympic games are winding down and the athletes are finding they have more time on their hands, tinder reported an increase of 348% in activity. With all the attractive and athletic competitors in one place, it’s no surprise. According to Reuters, “Every Olympics we hear that Tinder is ‘on fire’ in the Villages and we notice our usage increase significantly when people from around the world gather for an event.”

BASKETBALL

Rick Pitino has been long gone as the head coach of the Louisville basketball team, but he will be forever remembered as shaming the institution while at the helm, especially now that the NCAA refused to appeal their decision to rescind their 2013 championship and 2012 Final Four appearance. Former director of basketball operations, Andre McGee, was the ringleader of many of the violations including rampant sex parties with prostitutes for the underage recruits. By pulling the team’s championship banner from the raftors of the basketball arena, the NCAA is sending a strong message they won’t tolerate this type of behavior from institutions.

OLYMPICS

LindsayVonn finished her ski career with a bronze medal at the Olympics. She has defined downhill skiing for years, with many saying she is the greatest female downhill skier in the world. At 33 years old, she is the oldest female to win a medal in Alpine skiing. She holds three Olympic medals and has gained admirers over the years by her perseverance and attitude.

OLYMPICS

One of the most talked about moments at the Olympics was the French ice dancer, Gabriella Papadakis, who had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction while on the ice with partner Guillaume Cizeron. During the routine, Papadakis’ outfit came undone and exposed her breast. She had to hold on to her dress during the rest of the dance. On their second skate, they were extra determined and skated flawlessly propelling them to a Silver medal behind the Canadian duo of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.

The Band O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is receiving some attention during the Olympic. O.A.R. also stands for Olympic Athletes of Russia (which the 169 Russian athletes have written on their clothing), but every time someone references O.A.R., the band’s popularity continues to surge. The band’s singer Marc Roberge said, “It’s been surreal, absolutely surreal. It’s pretty wild to think somebody is watching the Olympics and thinking about us.”

BASKETBALL

NBA All-Star Weekend accomplished what it intended. Fans enjoyed Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell winning the slam dunk contest, Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker winning the three-point contest and Team LeBron edging out Team Stephen in the non-competitive pretending to be competitive All-Star Game. The most memorable part of the weekend, unfortunately, was Fergie singing the National Anthem in what many consider one of the all-time worst National Anthems ever. You can listen here, but consider yourself warned.

NASCAR

Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500 and celebrated by getting a tattoo on his rear end with the Daytona 500 logo and “Champ” written underneath it. In his press conference, Dillon excitedly talked about his tattoo but told the press, “You’ll never be able to see it,”

OLYMPICS

It was a tough day for Americans in the Winter Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin stumbled in the women’s slalom finals finishing in 4th place. At 18 years old, Nathan Chen was one of the most celebrated skaters at this Olympics, but after falling in his short programs, he is essentially out of medal contention. In some uplifting news, Red Stripe saved the Jamaican bobsled team by donating a sled for them to use during competition next week. Apparently the former driver/coach of the team left them in Pyeongchang without a sled (which seems very odd), but thankfully the Jamaican beer company stepped in. As of Friday morning, Norway leads the medal count with 19.

BASKETBALL

The 2018 NBA All-Star weekend is here. The festivities begin on Friday night in Los Angeles with the celebrity game. One of the anticipated celebrities suiting up is Justin Bieber. Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) will also be in the mix. You can also tune in for the skills challenge, three-point contest and the slam dunk contest. On Sunday night at 8:00pm (ET), LeBron James and Stephen Curry will face off with their hand picked teams for the All-Star game.

OLYMPICS

After waiting or days to race due to strong winds on the slopes, U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in the giant slalom (an event that’s not even considered her strongest). This is her second gold medal (she won in the slalom in 2014 in Sochi). Shiffrin is staying focused by not allowing herself to go on social media or even watch TV (other than Korean TV which she doesn’t understand). She said, “So I’ve really been away from that a bit, and that helps a lot. Because if I can’t see it then I don’t know what people are saying and it really feels like it is just me out there, and then I can just ski for myself.’’Mikaela still has the slalom (her best event), downhill and combined left in the competition.

It’s probably a good think Mikaela is staying away from listening to the media, especially after hearing what a radio host in California said about 17-year old Chloe Kim after she won the gold in the halfpipe. Patrick Connor called Chloe a “little hot piece of (expletive)” on his radio show. Connor was fired from one of his hosting gigs due to this idiotic comment.

BASKETBALL

Blake Griffin made headlines a few weeks ago when he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons. He’s now back in the news defending himself in a palimony suit by his ex-fiancee, Brynn Cameron, and mother of his two children. According to the suit, Griffin abandoned Cameron over his obsession with reality star Kendall Jenner. Cameron said, “Griffin cared more about the glamour of dating a Hollywood celebrity than the day-to-day responsibilities of being a father and family man.” No word on how much money she’s demanding.

OLYMPICS

Shaun White captured the Gold medal in the halfpipe and made history as the only male to win gold medals in three separate Olympics. Speedskater Bonnie Blair is the only woman to have won three golds in 1988, 1992, and 1994. White won his first gold at 19 years old in Turin, put the sport on the map and became a global brand. He won again decisively four years later in Vancouver, but then missed medaling by placing a disappointing 4th four years after that in Sochi. At 31 years old, and even after suffering a few injuries, White still showed why he’s the greatest in the sport. White’s win gave the United States its 100th gold in the Winter Games.

One of the most highly anticipated stories in the Olympics was the unified Korean women’s hockey team. The coach of the South Korean team, Sarah Murray, was told just about two weeks before the Games began that she would be adding 12 North Korean players to the team and would need to play 3 of them in each game. That’s not a lot of time to foster team unity, but according to Murray, “we’re really enjoying working with the North Korean players,” and then added, “the chemistry on this team is better than I ever would have predicted.” The unified team has lost two of their games 8-0 but still has a few more chances to show what they can do.

It’s hard to imagine, but the United States first gold medal was won by a teenager who overslept because he binge watched Brooklyn Nine Nine onNetflix. At 17 years old, Red Gerard, looked at the TV camera and exclaimed, “holy f*ck” when he found out he won gold in men’s slopestyle snowboarding.

OLYMPICS

Chloe Kim fulfilled her lifelong dream and won gold for the US in the halpipe. It’s pretty safe to say it was a lifelong dream as she is only 17 and was ready but not old enough to compete in the Olympics 4 years ago. Not going to lie, I don’t know what a 1080 is, but apparently it’s a big deal, and she’s the only woman to land them back to back (which she also did on Tuesday to win the Gold). During the qualifying rounds, Kim tweeted she’d be “down for some ice cream”, so when she won a fan gave her a cup of chocolate ice cream, which she ate while doing her interviews. Looks like Ben and Jerry’s has a new spokesperson!

BASKETBALL

ESPNw features a story of NBA players new obsession with wine. If you’re a oenophile or just a fan of some of the NBA superstars like LeBron, DeWayne Wade (who even has his own label), Steph Curry, Chris Paul, and Jimmy Butler, it’s a fun read on how they are spending their time off the court. Carissa Mondavi, the granddaughter of Napa’s wine pioneer Robert Mondavi, reflected on why it makes sense so many of these players are interested and appreciate the complexity of wine. She said, “ NBA players are the product of so many unseen hours spent perfecting so many hidden details, all leading to the moment when the ball is tossed in the air. So too is wine crafted against countless variables — the weather, soil, harvest, tanks, the barrels and blends, the delicate alchemy of it all — until, one day, the cork is pulled. For both to shine, it takes so much work no one will ever see.“ LeBron admitted he “believes in wine’s purported physical benefits” and said, “I’ve heard it’s good for the heart. Listen, I’m playing the best basketball of my life, and I’m drinking some wine pretty much every day. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”